Ingold Thorne
Sir Ingold Thorne is a major character in the War of the Shadows. As a Knight of Westmarch, Thorne remains one of the most disciplined and skilled warriors of the order for having fought in two wars, The War of the Black King and The Emergence of Evil. He was initially sent out by Duke Byron Bennen with a battalion of men to combat against the demons and aid the eastern Zakarum cities, but Ingold became a leader of the group known as the Grey Company after befriending the Soulstrider siblings. In Westmarch, he is called The Moon Knight by friend and foe alike. History Upbringing and Knighthood Ingold is the first son of Gilmith Thorne. Despite his lowborn status, Gilmith had a high reputation for being a skilled fighter and the youngest person in history to join the Knights of Westmarch, only aged at 15. Gilmith would later become a Paladin; Ingold was raised to take on his father's position as a Paladin of the Zakarum faith. His father led him onto the 'path of the Light' and in doing so taught him the omens of 'dark' magic. Because of this, Ingold grew up believing that those who wielded Witchcraft and Necromancy were evil individuals who sullied those who were devout followers of the Light. To season himself in combat, Ingold would attend several tournaments. Having won several jousting competitions, he would often practice with his father and younger brother. In 1259, he became a soldier of Bramwell and met Barkart who would become a close friend; both received praise from local citizens for their efforts in keeping Bramwell safe from thieves and bandits. With the help of his father, Ingold was appointed by the King of Westmarch to join the Knighthood. When his younger brother Dylan became of age he began following Ingold's footsteps of Knighthood and, in doing so, became his squire. A rift began between him and his brother when Ingold denied Dylan the right of passage to Knighthood; he claims that Dylan was not "mentally nor physically prepared for such an entitlement." A resentment resided over both brothers due to Ingold's decision. Before becoming a Knight, Ingold had met and fallen in love with his childhood friend Meera who was a neighbor to Thorne's family. Her passion for singing and song writing led him to develop his own interest for music, and would later write his own lyrics. Upon joining Knighthood, the two lovers would eventually hold their wedding ceremony next to the Moon River (which inspired Meera's song) that ran through Westmarch. Ingold wore his newly fitted armor at the wedding and, in the process, he became known as The Moon Knight. Meera gave birth to their daughter Brienne a year later. War of the Black King In 1264, came the war of the The Black King. The neighboring kingdom of Khanduras began to deteriorate from the inside due to the madness of King Leoric, for he sent his entire royal army to attack Westmarch. Ingold was summoned to war and was tasked at keeping a defensive watch along the borders of the King's Road. A darkening began in the eastern skies of Khanduras and many of the soldiers called it the Darkening of Tristram where the Mad King resided. A portion of Leoric's forces marched across the borders and attempted to claim the King's Road and war ensued. Skirmishes arose in the fields and hills throughout the region. Soon, the skirmishes evolved into full out battles. In one such battle, Ingold and his comrades, including Sir Barkart Tye, annihilated the Knights of Khanduras; while in battle, Ingold led a battlion into the combat and he alone managed to slay three warriors. Khanduras's army was torn apart by Westmarch's superior numbers and defensive positions. When victory over the Knights of Khanduras seemed inevitable, Ingold was tasked in commanding a battlion of soldiers and hunting down any remaining forces of King Leoric that still lingered in Westmarch. He and his men eventually found out that Sir Lachdanan, the captain and commander of Khanduras, had fled homeward bound with the remaining forces after their defeat. Ingold allowed Lachdanan and his soldiers to flee, for he desired no more bloodshed. Most of Khanduras' forces that were captured surrender peacefully. However, one remaining group of enemy soldiers used guerrilla tactics in the northern borders of Westmarch, raiding towns and villages; Ingold and his men tracked down the band of enemy soldiers and annihilated them in the field of battle, putting an end to their war crimes. For his victory against the guerrilla soldiers, and his contribution in the Battle of the King's Road, Ingold received praise from the lords of Westmarch and the higher members of the Zakarum church. Ingold returned home a veteran of war with grief still heavy in his heart. He would eventually write a song titled 'Humbling River', which echoed his wife's famous song 'Moon River', to honor his fallen comrades. As a reward for his service in war, his father Sir Gilmith gave to Ingold a custom made amulet in the sigil of a moon, representing his alias. Journey to the East In 1265, Ingold received a sealed letter by a private courier sent by Duke Byron Bennen, who was an important figure in Westmarch, requesting his appearance at the capital but did not state why. Expecting a long trip and no knowing of when he may return, Ingold gave his farewells to his wife and daughter and requested Barkart to accompany him to the capital. Ingold's father, who was stationed in the capital, met his son before meeting with Duke Byron. Gilmith shared rumors with his son about the demonic invasion that was corrupting the Zakarum faith and that a secret council was being summoned in the city of Westmarch to take a course of action. Ingold, Gilmith and Barkart attended the council meeting with the Duke, along with several other Knights and Paladins across Westmarch. During the council meeting, the rumors of a demonic invasion in the neighboring countries and the eastern continent were confirmed to be true by the Duke. Having received authority by the King of Westmarch to send aid, The Duke and the other council members made the unanimous decision to neglect Khanduras; despite the political rift between Westmarch and Khanduras due to their previous war, Ingold was one of the few people during the council to openly object to this bold decision. With Khanduras off the map, the council decided to send aid to the eastern cities of Kurast and Travincal. Duke Byron brought the council's final decision of aiding Kehjistan to The King of Westmarch, Justinian III, in which he agreed to be the right course of action. The King chose the most elite Paladins to lead the mission, while the Duke was left in charge of organizing the Knights and soldiers who would follow. Ingold was unable to visit his wife and daughter before his departure nor give them his family heirloom, the Crescent Moon Amulet, but asked his father to watch over them. When asked why Duke Byron summoned him to the council meeting, he told Ingold that his leadership and prowess in the war was "inspiring to the soldiers" and that the young Knight was a "true hero". Sir Randyl Bennen, the Duke's second son and Paladin, was placed in charge of leading the forces east. Later that evening, Ingold was invited over to the Duke's quarters and was chosen to be the Captain of the Knights during the mission, in which the young Knight reluctantly accepted. A celebration was held in Kingsport where the small army would depart. Sir Randyl commanded roughly 50 elite Paladins, each with their own squire, 100 Knights and 400 soldiers. Ingold found himself aboard the same boat as Barkart; over a dozen ships were used to transport the Westmarch battalion on their mission. The 550 troops arrived in Lut Gholein after a week aboard the ships; Ingold bared witness to the tragedy and suffering of the once beautiful city. The Captain of the City Guard welcomed the Westmarch battalion with hospitality and introduced Sir Randyl and Sir Ingold to the ruler of Lut Gholein, Jerhyn. Later, Ingold and Barkart visited Atma's Tavern for the afternoon and heard the tales of the Dark Wanderer who passed through the city. On the night before departing Lut Gholein towards Kurast, a ship from the Skovos Isles arrived in the Lut Docks with over forty Askari warriors and resources to aid the city. The Askari leader, a Valkyrie named Dame Alessandra, became acquainted with Sir Randyl and Sir Ingold. The Valkyrie warned of a storm coming over the twin seas, but Sir Randyl did not heed the warning. The next morning the army sailed to Kurast but was intercepted by the massive storm; 3 ships, and roughly 100 men lost their lives. Those that made it across the sea were scattered and lost. Most of the ships would end up making it to Kurast, while others landed else where, such as Gea Kul or the Torajan Jungles. Ingold's ship sailed and crashed into the small city of Kurast Docks, where he and Barkart would lead their men to dry land. Having been split from the rest of the army, Ingold commanded what men he had aboard the ship and established a base camp. The Searching of Serenity It took several months to establish a rendezvous for the entirety of the battalion; the storm that hit the Twin Seas eventually passed and those who were lost at sea ended up finding their way to Ingold's basecamp near the coast of Kurast. As acting commander in Sir Randyl's absence, Ingold lead small expeditions into the jungles for food and resources. However, beasts and creatures were driven into madness from the demonic influence that ensnared all of Kurast. It proved difficult to establish order among the Paladins, Knights and soldiers that were under his command; many men began to lose hope, others feared or questioned the mission entirely. Sir Ingold appointed Sir Oberith as his right-hand, who was experienced with rallying men to retribution. Ingold also assigned Barkart in scouting the eastern jungles where the thick of towns and villages were. Barkart returned a week later and told tales of a village that had been wiped out and left in ruins by what appeared to be demonic forces. The young Knight also spoke of a Witch Doctor that had been stalking him through the jungles but did not appear hostile. Meanwhile, it took Sir Randyl several weeks to reconnect with his comrades after landing on the coast; he eventually made his way to Gea Kul and heard from town folk that Sir Ingold had taken residence and established a base camp several miles south of the city. During this time, Sir Randyl sent two letters attached to ravens, one south to Sir Ingold and one west to Jerhyn. Both letters contained information to his own whereabouts and activities, telling Jerhyn to pass the message to his father the Duke, while the other note ordered Ingold to march north to Gea Kul with his army. Upon receiving the letter, Ingold and his troops packed up and headed towards Gea Kul, which proved somewhat difficult through the jungle terrain. Glistening green waters with crocodiles, quicksand, and rotting, half-drowned trees were harmful, and in some cases fatal, to the western troops. After a long march, Sir Ingold and his forces arrived in Gea Kul where they rendezvoused with Randyl and created a safe zone for the city. The Westerners found that many of the city guards had abandoned their posts when demonic invasion had engulfed the realm. Sir Randyl appointed a majority of the battalion to remain in Gea Kul, whilst other companies scouted ahead and made their way upriver through the jungles which was haunted by ghouls and giant spiders; the selected warriors that were sent into the jungles never returned. After a couple weeks of securing Gea Kul with fortified defenses and forming a militia, Sir Randyl, Sir Ingold and the battalion then proceeded east in hopes of reaching Kurast. There were riches to be found in Kurast - gold, gems, rare woods, exotic pelts, queer fruits, and strange spices - but the battalion found no comfort in the luxury. The sullen wet heat oppressed their spirits, and swarms of stinging flies spread one disease after another: green fever, the dancing plague, blood boils, weeping sores, sweetrot. The young and very old warriors proved especially vulnerable to such contagions. Even to splash in the river was to court death, for the Great River of Kehjistan was infested with schools of carnivorous fish, and tiny worms that laid their eggs in the flesh of swimmers. Two of the villages on the outskirts of Kurast had been raided by not demons, but slavers. The battalion contended with attacks from the brindled ghouls of the jungle deeps. By the time the battalion reached Kurast in 1266, exactly one year after Ingold departed from Bramwell, the entire population on both the lower and upper sections of the city was desolate. Through the Darkest Nights To be continued.... Moonlight Mercy To be continued.... The Grey Company To be continued.... The Feast of Crows To be continued.... Character and Appearance Many people of Bramwell, both citizens and soldiers, consider Ingold to be mannered, chivalrous and graceful. His bright blue eyes often remind people of a full moon, adding quality to his nickname. He holds a keen sense of honor and duty as a Knight so that he may serve the country and its citizens, not just the King. His views leave little interest in politics and court intrigue. Often times he will shun other Knights who only seek glory and riches for themselves. He wears the Crescent Moon Amulet that was given to him by his father, which is now his family heirloom; the interior diamond gives strength and endurance to its wearer when in sunlight or moonlight. His sword is named after his daughter, Brienne. Ingold is an accomplished commander, sailor, and warrior, although his personality hinders his ascension to being a truly great leader. Due to his religious upbringing, he pledges his devotion in the Light and frowns upon necromancers, whom he and his comrades nicknames 'deadmen' or 'vultures', as well as witches. In recent times, his friendship with the Soulstrider siblings have changed his views.